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The backbone of almost any cartoon is comedy and that's where "Kung Fu Panda" falls down. The directors allow star Jack Black to run off at the mouth on occasion, so his jokes run out of steam. Sight gags are consistently mistimed so they lack snap. The slapstick is also subject to woolly ... Read review
What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of ... more
noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in ...
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What's a panda to do when his dreams of kung-fu awesomeness awake to the cold reality of ... more
noodle-making? Clumsy, overweight Po (Jack Black) dreams of becoming a kung fu master like China's revered "furious five," but instead seems destined to follow in ...
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Kung Fu Panda is a new animated movie starring Jack Black Dustin Hoffman Jackie Chan ... more
Lucy Liu Ian McShane and Angelina Jolie! The Valley Of Peace and it's inhabitants are under threat from a malevolent snow leopard Tai Lung (Ian McShane). With ev...
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In the Kung Fu Panda video game, players embark on an epic, action-packed adventure as ... more
they master the specialised Kung Fu fighting styles of Po the Panda, the unlikely hero, his teacher Shifu, and the legendary Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five: Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane. Through 13 legendary levels from the movie and beyond, and spanning land, water and air, players must work their way to become the Dragon Warrior and defeat the ultimate enemy, Tai Lung, as they battle a variety of foes, overcome dangerous obstacles, navigate multi-tiered environments and solve challenging puzzles. Featuring a deep variety of gameplay, unique co-op and competitive multiplayer modes, collectibles, and a host of character upgrades, the Kung Fu Panda video game provides an experience gamers of all ages will enjoy.Buy your platform video games for your wii cheaper at GAMES Basement
In the Kung Fu Panda PS3 video game, players embark on an epic, action-packed adventure as ... more
they master the specialized Kung Fu fighting styles of Po the Panda, the unlikely hero, his teacher Shifu, and the legendary Kung Fu masters, the Furious Five: Monkey, Tigress, Viper, Mantis and Crane. Through 13 legendary levels in this platform video game from the movie and beyond, and spanning land, water and air, players must work their way to become the Dragon Warrior and defeat the ultimate enemy, Tai Lung, as they battle a variety of foes, overcome dangerous obstacles, navigate multi-tiered environments and solve challenging puzzles. Featuring a deep variety of gameplay, unique co-op and competitive multiplayer modes, collectibles, and a host of character upgrades, the Kung Fu Panda PS3 video game provides an experience gamers of all ages will enjoy.Buy your platform video games for your PS3 cheaper at GAMES Basement
Advantages: Some decent vocal performances and nice kung fu fights. Disadvantages: The animation still lags behind Pixar.
...shop daydreaming about being a kung fu master and a member of the Furious Five. When vengeful snow leopard Tai Lung escapes from prison, an ancient prophecy identifies Po as the only hope to defeat him. Reluctantly kung fu master Shifu agrees to train him along the Furious Five, but neither he nor they has any real faith in him. But as Tai Lung gets closer and the danger becomes greater, Po finally knuckles down and starts to learn.
... ...historical feel that suits the kung fu movies this film references. The second style of animation is a more predictable computer-generated version. But the issues that have thus far kept Dreamworks lagging behind Pixar remain. The character design presents problems - mouth movements tend to be spongy and the characters' eyes are glassy, which reduces their expressiveness and the fuzzy fur textures make them look like cuddly toys ripe for merchandising. ... more
Po is a lazy, loveable panda who spends all the time when he should be working at his father's noodle shop daydreaming about being a kung fu master and a member of the Furious Five. When vengeful snow leopard Tai Lung escapes from prison, an ancient prophecy identifies Po as the only hope to defeat him. Reluctantly kung fu master Shifu agrees to train him along the Furious Five, but neither he nor they has any real faith in him. But as Tai Lung gets closer and the danger becomes greater, Po finally knuckles down and starts to learn.
For years Dreamworks Animation have been trailing Pixar in terms of quality and imagination. But with this offering they start to close the gap just a little. Directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson showcase two distinct animation styles. The first is two-dimensional (but still computer-generated) and based on the traditional painting styles of feudal Asia. The backgrounds appear to be made of parchment while the foregrounds and characters seem to have been painted in red and black inks that have sunk a little into the paper. The animation itself is anime style - reused shots and lines denoting movement. The addition of an epic voice-over gives it a faux historical feel that suits the kung fu movies this film references. The second style of animation is a more predictable computer-generated version. But the issues that have thus far kept Dreamworks lagging behind Pixar remain. The character design presents problems - mouth movements tend to be spongy and the characters' eyes are glassy, which reduces their expressiveness and the fuzzy fur textures make them look like cuddly toys ripe for merchandising.
However, the overall quality of the animation has improved since Dreamworks' last outing. All the players have subtle facial tics that increase their range of expressions. The background textures such as wood, ceramics, fire and reflections are extremely good. The jade palace especially is beautifully rendered. The use of different "camera angles" is impressive, for instance the swooping vision employed in the first fight or the hand-held effect when the village is evacuated. The directors are canny enough to use the kinds of tricks that turn up in live action kung fu movies. So we get freeze frames of particularly hard blows, and slow-motion reaction shots (such as when Po is taking a pasting during training), training montages and the traditional shot of master and pupil doing katas at sunset. They use sepia tones for flashbacks and blues and greys for evil, giving a little more visual depth to the film. The way they shoot the final confrontation is also very effective, setting up an unnerving storm as a backdrop and employing eerie lighting techniques to add a frisson of excitement to events. The kung fu itself is very well realised, with the characters doing many real moves, adapted to their various body shapes. So it looks flashy and fun.
The backbone of almost any cartoon is comedy and that's where "Kung Fu Panda" falls down. The directors allow star Jack Black to run off at the mouth on occasion, so his jokes run out of steam. Sight gags are consistently mistimed so they lack snap. The slapstick is also subject to woolly timing and tends to be predictable and drawn out. The result is eighty-eight minutes of comedy that may make you smile but will rarely, if ever make you laugh out loud.
The screenplay by "King of the Hill" scribes pilfers aspects from virtually all generic kung fu movies. A poor boy with big dreams gets the chance to train with the best and prove himself against that bad guy to save his village. Of course it's written with a comic sensibility so the hero is a fat, uncoordinated panda that has to fight his own physical limitation as well as the prejudices of the Furious Five and his unwilling mentor before he even gets to the villain. There are no prizes for guessing the outcome. The film comes with a built-in "be true to yourself" message in addition to a sub-moral about the importance of letting go of pride.
The characterisation is predictable for a kung fu movie. Po may be a lazy dreamer but he has a good heart that will stand him in good stead. Master Shifu is constantly searching for enlightenment but is held back by his own pride and regrets. Oogway is a zen master who is so laidback he's horizontal. The Furious Five are generic hero types confident in their own abilities. Tai Lung is the usual seemingly unstoppable bad guy with a connection to Shifu. The dialogue is peppered with fortune cookie wisdom and surf dude exhortations courtesy of Jack Black. It fits the kung fu kitsch sensibilities of the movie, but I could have done with fewer mentions of "awesomeness" which sounds like a misplaced attempt at being down with the kids.
The filmmakers once more go for a big name voice cast without giving most of them enough to do. Jack Black gives a very animated performance (if you'll pardon the pun) as the voice of Po. You can feel the energy radiating from behind the microphone as the character bumbles his way through slapstick situations. Black brings his usual brand of slacker surf-dude to the part that suits the role's dreamy outlook. Dustin Hoffman seems to be having fun as the voice of red panda Shifu, giving his latest apprentice a hard time and throwing out fortune cookie wisdom as though he means it. Ian McShane growls his way through the part of Tai Lung as any good villain would. But Angelina Jolie, Lucy Liu, Jackie Chan, Seth Rogen and David Cross struggle to come up with a personality between them as the Furious Five because they have so little screen-time. Jolie in particular sounds bored by the whole affair. It's the lesser known actors that shine, such as Randall Duk Kim as the voice of Oogway and James Hong as Po's father. They bring a great deal of energy and enthusiasm to their roles that makes the characters stand out when they are on screen.
The original music by John Powell and Hans Zimmer combines traditional eastern sounds that would fit any kung fu movie and western orchestrations that try to fill the gaps in-between. So there are lots of reed flute motifs and big brassy kung fu themes whenever the Furious Five turns up or there is any kind of martial arts milestone. The reality of Po's life is accompanied by plucked strings and woodwinds. Tai Lung warrants his own forbidding brass theme. The choosing of the dragon warrior occurs against a backdrop of feadog and regal themes. A major character's death is underlaid by traditional sad Chinese strings. The Pool of Tears is represented by big choral arrangements as is the big fight. Meanwhile the finale is accompanied by sprightly flute and drum driven celebratory music. Overall the music is appropriate to the style and content of the movie although jack Black's rendition of "Kung Fu Fighting" over the end credits is unnecessary.
"Kung Fu Panda" is a fun family film that will appeal to kids that are into programmes like "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers" with its blend of martial arts and slapstick. But adults will enjoy it for its kung fu references and it's unlikely you'll drop off watching it. However, the animation still can't compete with the likes of Pixar and the comedy is impeded by stodgy timing. So it isn't one of those films that will make you go "Wow!" or stay with you for very long after you've watched it. But if you're looking for something to keep the kids occupied for an hour-and-a-bit, you could do worse.
Advantages: entertaining fun; good story without sickly-sweet moralising Disadvantages: small inconsistancies in animation style
...this being a cartoon and kung fu looking nowhere near as impressive in animated format (yes, I'm sure it's very difficult to draw, but it lacks the sheer 'wow' of seeing all those years of training in practice), and despite the big names only here in voice, Kung Fu Panda was somehow the more enjoyable of the two. Where was I? Ah yes. Po dreams of being a kung fu master, but in reality he's a very, VERY tubby panda who works in his father's noodle ... ...be chosen, from among his kung fu idols: the Furious Five. Tigress (Angelina Jolie), Viper (Lucy Liu), Monkey (Jackie Chan), Mantis (Seth Rogen) and Crane (David Cross) are the greatest kung fu students in the land, led by Master Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) - which of them will be deemed the greatest, the fabled Dragon Warrior, and earn the secrets of all power? Alas, Po is a little late getting to the kung fu demonstration, and finds himself locked out. ...
Calypte 06.02.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kung Fu Panda (DVD)
Advantages: Great animation and concept Disadvantages: A great challenge for Pixar from DreamWorks
...idea of making an animated kung fu film with animals as the characters instead of the usual human element. The result is a well written and expertly animated feature-length film that kept me riveted to the screen.
The Plot
The story commences with Po the Panda dreaming he is the Dragon Warrior, a legendary Kung Fu master who will beat any foe. Waking from his dream, he realises he is just a Panda, working for his stork (!) father in his noodle ... ...temple where Oogway and his kung fu experts reside. Through accidental circumstances, Po winds up crashing to the ground in front of Oogway as he is about to point to the new Dragon Warrior, and Po is chosen as 'The One'. Many are confused, many are astounded, and Oogway and the five Masters of the Temple (Tigress, Mantis, Viper, Monkey and Crane) are extremely annoyed.
With the revelation that snow leopard Tai Lung, a former apprentice of Master ...
pmcds 29.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kung Fu Panda (DVD)
Advantages: Great animation, story, message, funny Disadvantages: None
...and I went to see Kung Fu Panda at the cinema. I had been looking forward to this for months as we had seen trailers for it in America weeks ago and so when it finally came out in England we were excited to go see it and we were not let down.
I really enjoyed this movie. It's an animated movie made by Dreamworks Animation and distributed by Paramount. This is definitely a cartoon for kids and unlike some cartoons does not really include any "adult" ... ...home of martial arts and Kung Fu. Po is a Panda. Unfortunately he is rather large (like most Panda's in the world) and is rather lazy and doesn't do very much. He works in his fathers noodle shop. His father is a goose, there is a rather funny part later in the movie when they realise he is different than his father. His father loves the noodle shop as it has been passed down to him from generation to generation and he would love Po to take over ...
Spottydog11 15.07.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kung Fu Panda (DVD)
Advantages: Great film, great animation, very funny, suitable for all ages Disadvantages: The unlikely hero premise won't win prizes for originality
...to watch the DVD of Kung Fu Panda with a few friends. It was a film that I hadn't seen before, even though I liked the look of it when I saw trailers for it when it was out at the cinema, so I was quite excited to watch it. Also, the fact that it was made by Dreamworks also gave me high hopes for this film, as they brought us the fantastic Shrek trilogy as well as Chicken Run and other animated classics, although I would say that they still fall ... ...Fortunately, Kung Fu Panda was a film which lived up to my expectations, and was absolutely fantastic from start to finish. The storyline was great, the animation was sensational, and the dialogue was very well written and hilarious throughout. In short, it's all you would really want in a film, and I may as well end my review here….
Though, of course, I'm not going to do that, because I want to talk more about this film that I enjoyed so much. ...
charlsayslol 14.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kung Fu Panda (DVD)
Advantages: Funny & Great Film For The Family Disadvantages: None
...== Plot ==
Kung Fu Panda is the story about a lazy, slacker panda named Po, who is the biggest fan of Kung Fu around, which doesn't come in handy due to the fact he is working every day in his family's noodle shop. Po's dreams become reality when he is unexpectedly chosen to fulfill an ancient prophecy and joins the world of Kung Fu and studies alongside his idols, the legendary Furious Five, which consists of Tigress, Crane, Mantis, Viper and Monkey, ... ...you need for a family film, Kung Fu Panda is visually striking, exciting, likeable and also funny. It had me laughing the whole way through and Jack Black makes the film even more better with the way he makes Po a fun character for people to watch and listen to. ...
x_sexual_kisses_x 01.09.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Kung Fu Panda (DVD)
The latest CG-animated feature from DreamWorks Animation follows a lazy panda named Po (Jack Black) who inadvertently stumbles upon a martial-arts ceremony. An unlikelier Kung Fu hero you could not find, Po is chosen as the revered Dragon Warrior and must do battle with his master's villainous ex-pupil, Tai Lung, who has just escaped from a maximum-security prison...
Release details
DVD Region
DVD
Studio(s)
PARAMOUNT HOME ENTERTAINMENT; TECHNICOLOR DISTRIBUTION SERVICES, PARAMOUNT
Languages
Main Language
English
Technical information
Special Features
Filmmakers' commentary, Meet the Cast featurette, Tech of KUNG FU PANDA: Pushing the Boundaries featurette, Conservation International: Help Save Wild Pandas, Dragon Warrior Training Academy, DreamWorks Animation Video JukeBox, Trailers
Aspect Ratio
16:9 Anamorphic Wide Screen
Sound
Dolby Digital
Professional reviews
Review
One of the best animation films to appear for a long while (Sunday Times Culture, 24/09/2008)
DVD Description
With 2008's KUNG FU PANDA, the talking-animal CGI film enters a new era, one that makes room for both painterly artwork and fierce martial-arts action. Po (voiced by Jack Black), a clumsy and ever-hungry panda, is a huge kung fu fan, but seems destined to sell noodles like his father, Mr. Ping (James Hong), who inexplicably happens to be a goose. When Po literally crashes a ceremony involving martial-arts masters Shifu (Dustin Hoffman) and Oogway (Randall Duk Kim) and their pupils, the Furious Five--which includes Tigress (Angelina Jolie, in a surprisingly small part) and Crane (David Cross)--he ends up being selected by the latter elder as the revered Dragon Warrior. As the sceptical Shifu reluctantly trains the hapless Po, his former star pupil, Tai Lung (Ian McShane), escapes from a high-security prison, setting up a collision course between the bumbling bear and the powerful villain. One of the finest animated films released under the DreamWorks banner, KUNG FU PANDA deftly avoids many of the pitfalls of the genre (i.e. cheesy musical sequences), juggling action, heart, and humour in a highly entertaining way. While Black (in endearingly restrained mode), Hoffman, Kim, and McShane voice their characters with verve, the real stars of PANDA are directors Mark Osborne and John Stevenson and their animators, who lovingly depict ornate Chinese chambers and vast mountainous vistas, as well as blazing kung fu battles. A movie with remarkably wide appeal, KUNG FU PANDA delivers on its quirky, high-concept title with gleeful aplomb.
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